Today's question about the Broncos comes from Scott Pro in Conifer:

Q: Is there any news about how well linebacker Steven Johnson is doing as an undrafted free agent from the University of Kansas?

A: Scott, every year I try to research and evaluate as many prospects as I can in the months leading up to the NFL draft.

And through the years, I've always had a soft spot for the players who worked through the tough times and made the most of both their opportunities and abilities along the way.

In this draft, Johnson was on that list.

As a football prospect, he's a 6-foot ¼, 239-pound linebacker with plenty of on-field production on his resume. Though he played in one of the worst defenses in the nation, for a team that went 5-19 in his last two years and surrendered 678 yards alone in an October loss to Baylor, Johnson still was noticed by NFL scouts by how he played through those struggles.

He led the Big 12 in tackles with 124 this past season, the first time a Kansas player had led the league in tackles since Roger Robben led the then Big 8 in tackles in 1989.

Johnson's challenge will be to show quality play speed — his 4.71 40-yard dash is not among the top tier at the position — and to add some strength. He had good numbers in his workouts to measure explosiveness — 37-inch vertical jump and 9-10 standing broad jump — as well as a good showing in agility drills at his pro day.

But his strength numbers were below average, so these offseason workouts are important for him. Once training camp opens, he'll have to show he can shed blockers and keep his feet on the way to the ball.

Johnson will also have to show some impact on special teams, the fast track for any player hoping to make it as an undrafted player.

As far as attitude and approach, however, Johnson has consistently shown people what he's about. He tore the anterior cruciate

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Kansas, as Johnson rehabbed his knee, eventually offered a chance to join the team as a walk-on, so Johnson would have to foot the tuition bills as well as his living expenses himself. As a result, his dad — Steven Johnson Sr. — took out a $100,000 loan against the barbershop/salon he operates in eastern Pennsylvania to prepare to pay for as many years of his son's education as possible.

At the start of each semester, Steven Johnson would receive money from his father with the agreement that the money would have to last the entire semester. At one point to save money, he moved in with Kansas teammates Chris Harris and Darrell Stuckey, sleeping on a couch.

Harris made the Broncos roster last year as an undrafted free agent.

Johnson was eventually awarded a scholarship before his third season at the school.

Again, if Johnson had been a tick or two faster on the stopwatch or a few pounds bigger, he certainly would have found himself drafted. At least two teams I spoke to before the draft had a borderline late seventh/priority free agent grade on him.

Johnson had some issues with stingers during his career at Kansas as well as surgery to repair cartilage in his knee, so that was a concern for some in the league.

Still, he's in a good place to have a chance to make it, however, since the Broncos have had at least one undrafted player make the 53-man roster out of the last eight training camps.

Two of the players from those eight years are still on the roster: Harris and linebacker Wesley Woodyard.

Head coach John Fox has always favored smaller, more mobile linebackers through the years as well. So if Johnson can show he has the ability to move through traffic and get to the ball, he'll give himself the best chance.

Jeff Legwold: jlegwold@denverpost.com